“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 118:1 ESV)
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Our Greatest Blessing
“give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Thanksgiving Day is tomorrow. It is a day of gathering with family and enjoying good food and good company. It is a day of remembering the goodness of God and catching up on what has been happening in our lives. It is a day of sharing our good times and supporting each other as we journey through the challenges of life.
Our plans for Thanksgiving Day with family will not happen. I am certain that there are many that have had to rethink and replan Thanksgiving and perhaps even Christmas because of the continuing threat of COVID.
We are disappointed. But, as I read and meditate on the Scripture above, I am reminded that in spite of my disappointment over not being able to be with family for Thanksgiving – I still have much to be thankful for. I am to be thankful in all circumstances. No matter what is going on, I have much to be thankful for.
Even though I can’t be with my family in person, I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for video calling that allows us to connect virtually. I am thankful for being able to pick up a delicious Thanksgiving meal from Cracker Barrel. I am thankful to be able to help others have food during Thanksgiving. I am thankful for my loving husband and my beautiful home.
What are some of the things you are thankful for during this Thanksgiving season? May we remember to be thankful in all seasons and in all circumstances.
Father, thank You for all the blessings in my life. Help me to focus on what I do have and not on those things that I don’t have. LORD, thank You for being my Greatest Blessing!! AMEN!!
Yet I Will Praise The LORD!!
“Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. (Habakkuk 3:17-18 NASB)
This is such a good reminder that our praise of Almighty God is not dependent on how things are going on in our lives. Our praise is not in response to our circumstances – but our praise is in response to who God is!
As we continue to journey through COVID – we offer our undiluted praise to the LORD!!
As we walk in uncertainty of what our future holds – we offer our praises of faith to the LORD!!
I invite you to join me in wholehearted, faith-filled, joyful praise to the God of our salvation!! Our circumstances are constantly changing – but the LORD does not change! Hallelujah!!
“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalm 34:1 ESV)
Blessing the LORD with you!
Tina Roach
SHIFT YOUR FOCUS!!
There are times in my life where I find myself thinking back on my life journey and having regrets. It would be so great if everything I have done and everything I have said was perfect. It would be so great to have no regrets…to not have a burden for things that highlight what an imperfect, flawed, and weak vessel that I was and continue to be.
I am not perfect. But, I know One who is! Jesus Christ, my beloved Lord and Savior, is perfect in all that He says and does!
I am so humbled and thankful that He loves me in spite of all my weaknesses and flaws. I am so humbled and thankful that He still can use me for His glory in spite of all of the things that I do wrong.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
I am comforted in knowing that He has used all of my mistakes and regrets to help mold and shape me into who He is calling me to be!
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
Brothers and Sisters, if you are going through a time of regret, don’t let it stop you from forging ahead and answering the call of God on your life! God doesn’t focus on what we lack…He focuses on who we are to become in and through Him! And we are not to focus on what we lack…but we are to focus on all that we have through His abundance!
So! Today I choose to shift my focus away from myself and all that I am not and I choose to align myself with God and shift my focus onto all that I am through His amazing grace and through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit!!
Will you join me? One, two, three…..SHIFT!!
JEHOVAH SHALOM
There is so much going on in the world. There is so much going on in our country. There is so much going on in our churches, our families, and our lives.
Sometimes we search for peace in all the wrong places. But, the best place to find peace – that peace that passes all understanding – is within the person of Jesus Himself! “For He Himself is our peace…”. (Ephesians 2:14)
The Lord is peace. He is JEHOVAH SHALOM.
Remember WHO Jesus is as we continue to navigate through the days ahead. He is our peace! Our hearts will not be troubled! We will not be afraid!
May the PEACE of God flow within you and flow from you! SHALOM!
Lord, You Are Faithful!
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV)
This scripture reminds us that no matter the temptation – there are others who have journeyed through the same thing. It’s easy to sometimes feel that we are alone in our journey, but that’s not true!
The Lord uses others to support and help us as we are going through challenging circumstances. As they have journeyed through – so can we!
And even more powerful is God’s promise that He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. AND He will provide a way out. Hallelujah!!
[Prayer]. Lord, You are FAITHFUL!! You are trustworthy! You are more than able to see us through anything that tries to stop us in our journey with You. You go before us and provide a solution, an answer, a way out of our temptations. And You are with us providing all the strength and wisdom we need. LORD, YOU ARE FAITHFUL!!
Serving a Faithful God, Tina K. Roach
Salvation
“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;”. Philippians 2:12 NASB
Paul is recognizing that the Philippians followed his teachings not only while he was there among them, but even when he was absent.
Do we follow the teachings of Jesus not only when we are among our fellow Christians, but when we are out in the world?
We are to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.” We are not working FOR our salvation. There is nothing we can do to earn it. We have been saved by God’s Grace through faith. We are able to receive salvation by what JESUS has done. Hallelujah!!
As a result of our salvation, we begin to “work out” or do the good works of God that He has prepared us to do.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV
LORD, as we go forward from our position of being saved by grace, may we never take it for granted! May we never take YOU for granted! You are Almighty, Creator, King of kings and Lord of lords! May everything we do and say in Your name be in recognition of Who You are. You are WORTHY of our deepest reverence and our highest praise!! Amen!
